DESCRIPTION (adapted from the application) Support is requested to provide expenses for younger investigators to attend the Banff Conference on Solid Organ Allograft Pathology, to be held June 7-12, 1999. This conference is the fifth in a series that has been held biennially, beginning in 1991. The overall objectives of the Banff conferences are: to provide a venue for focus on the pathology and pathophysiology of solid organ allografts; to foster collaborative studies in the areas of allograft pathology and pathophysiology; and to enable broad representation and collaborations, interdisciplinary interactions, and consensus building. The conference in 1991 led to development of the Banff Working Formulation for classification of renal allograft pathology. In 1995, the Banff working formulation for liver allograft rejection was developed from consensus discussions held at the Third Banff Conference. The most recent conference, in 1997, led to a revision of the Banff classification for kidney allograft pathology, Banff 97, soon to be published in Kidney International. Attendance at the conferences has grown steadily, from 16 in 1991 to 123 in 1997. The conferences are attended by an international group of pathologists and clinicians, most with strong research interests in transplantation. Formats are a mix of presentations and open informal consensus discussions, which have proven to be productive forums for exchange of ideas and development of collaborations. The conferences provide a stimulating environment for young professionals interested in the science and practice of transplantation, and junior faculty have attended the conference in increasing numbers in recent years. The specific goals of the Fifth Banff Conference are: 1) updating of Banff Classifications for renal and liver allograft rejection, as well as classifications for acute rejection of heart, lung, and pancreas allografts; 2) development of a consensus working classification for grading/staging chronic "rejection" in liver allografts; 3) consideration of feasibility of and information to be gained from baseline and protocol allograft biopsies; 4) fostering of collaborative studies of protocol biopsies; 5) stimulation of continued studies for identification of early predictors of late allograft dysfunction; and 6) refinement of the diagnosis of and summary of pathogenic significance of viral infections in solid organ allografts. Topics to be covered at the Fifth Banff Conference include: 1) updates of the schemas for rejection grading for kidney, liver, heart, lung, and pancreas allografts: 2) protocol biopsies, rationale and methods; 3) early predictors of late allograft function; 4) chronic allograft dysfunction; and 5) viral infections in allografts. Funds from this grant would provide travel support, registration, and housing for 16 young investigators to come to the Banff Conference to present their work and participate in the formal sessions and informal consensus discussions that characterize these conferences. The work of young investigators will be highlighted as platform presentations or in interactive poster sessions.